Public Displays of Resolution

We’re days away from the start of 2012, which means the start of thinking about those ever (non)important New Year’s Resolutions.

Like most human beings who flirt with concept, I don’t think I’ve ever fully kept my list of resolutions. If I did manage to achieve one of them it was quite by accident. But over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about what I want for 2012. Mostly this is because 2012 is a pretty significant and interesting new year in the chapter of my life: it’s the first year that I will be completely school free and able to semi-dictate what I’d like to happen.

So far adulthood has not come with tons of magical powers, mainly because of the set-back of graduating in a terrible economy. But I can still dream, right? So here are hopefully obtainable goals for the New Year. (And maybe publishing them publicly on this tiny blog will provide a little more motivation?)

Turn my business into a retail line. I launched a stationery business, On a Good Note Designs, in October. Designing stationery was one of those things that I realized I was kinda sorta good at and I enjoyed doing. Things are small right now and while I am so appreciative of the feedback and sales I’ve made so far, things need to get bigger in order for me to actually do this. What could be better than seeing my cards on the shelves of local stationery stores? When I saw a college friend a few weeks ago and was catching her up on what I was doing she said, “You could be the next Kate Spade.” Well, why not?

Be published in a major print magazine. While I love what I’m doing right now, I do have a degree in writing and an extensive journalism resume that goes back to writing for the North Anderson Elementary Gazette in 3rd grade. Writing will always be a part of my life. And if I don’t pursue it in some way, I feel like a part of me will be neglecting what had been such a huge aspiration in my life. I’ve been published on a few national websites, but there’s still nothing that compares to seeing your name on a nicely designed printed piece of paper that you can hold in your hand and shove in the face of anyone who is willing to accept your gloating. Which leads me to this goal.

Go to New York City. This one is a bit of stretch and dependent on how well the previous things work out monetarily. I’ve never been to New York City. When I was younger I sat and fantasized about living in the concrete jungle and working at a major magazine. Then I had a better grasp of the cost of living and the salaries of beginning magazine professionals and started to realize that maybe I didn’t want to eat Ramen noodles for a decent stretch of my 20s. But I still really really really want to go to the city. A large portion of things on my bucket list are New York moments. So hopefully I can save enough money to make it there. Or maybe some kind person will give me money. But I’m not holding my breath on that.

A wonderful vintage New York postcard I found in an antique store in Carmel, Ind. a few years ago.

Get my own apartment. Yeah. This one is pretty self-explanatory. And any money accumulated will probably go to this goal over a trip to NYC.

Work on my screenwriting projects. I graduated DePauw with two screenwriting projects–one a short comedy, one a full-length drama-comedy. I loved both of those projects and I’ve been working on ideas to shape them into even better pieces. And I have other ideas.

Play more tennis. I started learning to play tennis in early high school, but I’ve barely touched a racquet since coming back to Indiana. I miss hitting the balls around. It’s an enjoyable workout. And it’s much less humid to be out playing in Indiana than in Louisiana (SIDENOTE: To all those who whine about humidity in Indiana, go do 8 hours of band camp four days a week outside the last week of July in Louisiana. Then we’ll talk.)

See Jimmy Fallon. I have a possible unhealthy love of Jimmy Fallon. I have had a series of dreams in which he was around, one including going to see his show and another about him being hit by a bus and me being incredibly upset. I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance of seeing his show, and then I was given the greatest news I got all year: he’s doing his show live from Indianapolis the week of the Super Bowl. If do not get tickets, then….well, I don’t know what. I will be majorly crushed.

Be a better blogger: I’ve had this blog over a year and so far I’ve been pretty terrible at writing in regular intervals (or writing at all, really). But I really would like to be a better blogger (bloggess?), and in the past few weeks I’ve been attempting to write posts in advance so that I can whip one out each week. So far it’s working. You’re reading the product of a let’s-be-crazy-and-start-writing-in-advance mindset. And of course I’ve had some fans along the way cough**Alaina, Callie, Mom**cough who seem to encourage my more productive existence in the blogging arena. So here’s to hoping we’ll meet again a lot more often next year.

Marry Jason Segel. Just kidding. But seriously…

What are your resolutions? Or do you think they’re silly? No matter what you think, I hope you have a happy, healthy, productive 2012!

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Published by saraheutsler

5 thoughts on “Public Displays of Resolution”

Yay!! The nagging, it works! Actually – great list. I just got a tennis racket for Christmas (and tennis balls)… even though I don’t play tennis… but now I can! And I would love to go play with you sometime! And, obviously, plan your wedding to Jason : )

Haha! Yes, we must play–or attempt to play–tennis at some point in time. And obviously I need your help wedding planning. Speaking of which, I have three more magazines to look at I picked up at Half Price Books : )

And for anyone else who reads that and thinks I have lost it and am actually planning a wedding to Jason Segel, rest assured that the bridal magazines are for business purposes ONLY.

Nice goals 🙂 If you have a wedding plan going in, maybe Jason would look at your outlines and binders and give it some thought. Everybody wants an organized bride!

I’m also guilty of posting irregularly and infrequently. I’m trying to get something together so I at least have a weekly feature. Mostly I just write something up once or twice a month, as it occurs to me. If you’re interested in being more involved in blogging (and do so hesitantly because it can suck people in) one of the best things to do is find other writers who blog and follow them and leave comments. It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but weirdly it’s how I got more involved and what motivates me to get BIC HOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard) and post every once in a while. I have other people’s blogs who I follow and comment, and when I see them comment on things I posted like three weeks ago, I start feeling bad. “Oh, crap she’s already seen that like five times. I gotta get hustlin’.”

I’m really bad at getting involved in the blogging world, but I would like to be better at it. It is time consuming. I shoot for once a week (though I missed last week because I was sick). I started keeping a notebook where I write down ideas for non-timely things I want to talk about. Most of the time something else that is timely comes up and I go with it, but I always have 20 or so ideas ready to go if I get stuck. I recommend doing that. My notebook has become an overall writing ideas mess, complete with ideas for blogs, freelance articles, screenplays, and television spect scripts.